February 18, 2008
Ralph Locke Celebrates 50th Book in Music Series
june.avignone@rochester.edu
In music the passions enjoy themselves, wrote
Nietzsche.
Talk with musicologist Ralph Locke about any of the
critically acclaimed books from the Eastman Studies in Music series
published by the University of Rochester Press— from Musical
Encounters at the 1889 Paris World’s Fair to CageTalk: Interviews
with and about John Cage—and his fervent delight rings clear and true
“When we began, I didn’t dare dream that
this could happen,” said Locke, an Eastman professor for more than 30
years and series editor of the Eastman Studies in Music books since 1994.
“We started producing two books a year, and now we are up to seven
each year and growing, which means we can publish books on a range of
topics and reach a wider spectrum of the reading public.”
In an age of blockbuster books dominating the shelves
at corporate chain stores, Locke has the right to be excited about the
steady growth of the niche series. “I am more intimately involved
with some of the titles because of my personal interests,” says
Locke, who is celebrating his 50th book as series editor this month with
the release of Music Theory and Mathematics: Chords, Collections, and
Transformations. “But music has a powerful way of conveying a
wide range of moods and states of mind, and all of these books help us feel
and see that.”
Originally from Boston, where he was exposed to the
symphony at an early age, Locke recalls when his official passion for
classical music was permanently unleashed. It was the early 1970s. He was
singing in the chorus at a Tanglewood concert. And Leonard Bernstein was
wearing a Nehru suit conducting Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2.
“It was so beautiful my head nearly blew off,
and I knew that I wanted to keep music at the center of my life,”
says Locke. “I strongly felt that classical music could speak
to anybody; I saw it all around me, regardless of social class or
education.”
Locke works closely with the Eastman Studies in Music
advisory board to select and develop titles for review by the press.
“Books about choral and organ music do very well,” he
notes, picking up a copy of Maurice Duruflé: The Man and His Music,
a popular biography about the French organist and composer.
Ralph Locke in the historic offices of the University of Rochester Press on Mt. Hope Avenue.
“An organ can whisper or roar. People love
that,” says Locke. “And Duruflé’s Requiem is
widely loved for its gentle message of transcendence.”
Manuscripts are submitted to the press from
musicologists nationwide and abroad, then sent out for peer review before
being proposed to the editorial board. “The press’s mission has
long been to publish work that reflects select strengths of the
University,” says Suzanne Guiod, editorial director at the press,
which publishes 30 new titles each year in various academic disciplines
ranging from African studies to the history of medicine. “The Eastman
Studies in Music series has become our flagship series, due entirely to
Professor Locke’s devotion, inexhaustible enthusiasm, and unwavering
commitment to excellence,” Guiod adds.
In addition to his teaching and his work with the
press, Locke is writing a book about his most recent love: opera and other
theater works, including West Side Story, focusing on how Western composers
portray different places and ethnic groups. Opera, he says, combines the
best of everything: stage, drama, dancing, and costume. “And the
music helps us sense on an emotional level what the libretto is saying in
words and actions,” says Locke. “Are the characters
fearful, are they overly trusting? Music says it all.”
For further information on the University of Rochester
Press and its titles, visit: http://www.urpress.com.
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